Common Sea Hare, Dolabrifera dolabrifera
The Dolabrifera dolabrifera, is a fairly common sea hare (hence its common name). It can often be found in tide pools, old fish ponds, shallow intertidal and subtidal zones. They are excellent at camouflage and will often lie flat in the curves of rocks and algae, making themselves near invisible to the naked eye. Many are the drab brown or greenish colour of rocks and algae, but others can be stunning reds, blues and pinks, especially when found in seaweeds and algaes of similar colouring. Most of the Dolabrifera dolabrifera in this gallery were photographed in less than 2 meters of water in North Kihei, Ma’alaea Bay or La Perouse Bay, Maui. For more images and a detailed explanation of their taxonomy, please see Cory Pittman and Pauline Fiene’s site, Sea Slugs of Hawaii. Up to 80mm in size (or approx. 3 inches).